The Proton Iriz, Betul kali ini ke?

The Proton Iriz has finally arrived, after much hype in the social media, taped-up test drive units that appeared in the local and foreign medias, and the Proton Emas global compact concept car that was showcased years ago with with Lotus fronting it, and we knew there is no way Lotus would sway away from its root of a pure sport car company.  It is now here, and amazingly, the visit experience to the Proton Edar's showroom this round was greeted by smiling sales person, willing to assist, and arrange for test drives, though the Iriz has already > 30,000 in its booking list.  Even shocking is the available of the full colour Iriz booklet and the single sheet flyer, instead of the usual cost saving black and white photocopy sheet that we get.  Let's hope Proton is betul betul serious this round, and not let their dealer sell their test drive units after the rush is over months later.  Trust me, those usual visit to most dealers will tell you test drive unit not available as they have sold theirs in order not to lose too much value of the pre-registered car!  Lame excuse!

 

When one first meet the Iriz, it could be mistaken as a Perodua Myvi.  Pardon the norm here, as Malaysia's roads are flooded with the ever successful Myvi and the hatchback Iriz does indeed looks alike in its basic shape and size, if one ignore the details.  In fact, it direct competition is the Myvi.  But the Iriz's fresh look, features, and Asean NCAP 5-star rating immediately knock its competitor to the side.  It even scored better that the Peugeot 208.  From the most basic 1.3-litre (from RM42k) to the most loaded 1.6-litre (RM63k), all are equipped with ABS with EBD, Traction Control, Hill-Hold Assist, dual airbags, and isofix mount points.  The 1.6-litre Premium edition gets additional 4-airbag, making it an all round balloon if an accident could not be avoided!  Ini kali-lah, Proton does something betul-betul right, for not stripping safety from the priority!  Choosing a car with missing safety components is like "penny wise, pound foolish", as how much could one pay to get his precious life back?!

It is difficult to spot a difference in the engine bay of the 1.3-litre (94hp/120Nm) and 1.6-litre (107hp/150Nm) model, as both belong to the same new engine series with Variable Valve Timing in-built.  Forget about the bolt-on Campro.  This powertrain is designed with ... future in mind ... where Proton would spin it off to more variant, including hybrid!  But ... but ... but ... why is it still using timing belt instead chain?  Timing chain would bring down some long term maintenance cost!  Though both engine produces less power when compare to other Japanese and continental makes, the test drive taken shown both model are willing performers.  The 1.3-litre when mated to the 5-speed manual tranny is willing to rev beyond 4,000 rpm, and it is easy to drive out of the urgent corner!  With this power, it completely put the 1.0-litre Axia far far back, and its 4-cylinder layout means balance and less vibration, unlike the 3-cylinder Axia's engine.  Anyhow, Axia is not Iriz's competitor.  But when both national car manufacturers launched their new car on the same months could mean stiff competition!  The CVT 1.6-litre unit is nice to drive, and the up-shift of CVT is always smooth as silk, but when more power is needed, the sudden downshift needs is like a shock to the transmission, which I think could need better tuning.  Cruising on this more powerful engine is enjoying, but the price tag could put a lot of consumer off!  By the way, did I mention the electric power steering is extremely light and the brake need to depress further down to give the stopping feel...fine tune needed, Proton!

Performinh a 360 degree view of the Iriz, one could notice that all variants uses the same projector headlamp, which I think Proton is smart in doing so, as this means easier on the stock, and volume could drive the cost down.  This makes one wonder why Perodua Axia needs 2 different type of headlamp for its variants ... Well, in marketing sense, it simply means premium looks demand premium pricing!  Taking the Iriz from the side, the angular swosh on the doors add to its aggressiveness, yet tone down by its norm wheel arch.  The selection of the alloys here are simply nice!  Spinning to the rear of the car, the chamferred taillight section is briliant, giving the Iriz best rear view, and if you noticed it well, the rear hatch is operated by a push button instead of a traditional keyhole.  Another upmarket thought well executed!

Well, of all the good things on the Iriz, there is definitely a thing that was not well thought out.  The extendable sunvisors in the Executive/Premium variant are betul-betul stupid.  Authority should not even allow this, as when extended, it blocks the rear-view mirror.  Where are Proton's designers and engineers?  Why let the the supplier influence you into thinking additional feature means good to have?  The standard sunvisors should suffice in any car, as we will always have our Ray-Ban with us under our Malaysia's sunlight!

The Iriz's interior is a big improvement over all other Proton's models, simple and well layout this round.  Though hard plastics and flimsy aircon control could be improved further.  The glove box is fitting is much better, but the feel is not consistent.  On one car, the fitting is almost perfect, and on another, it could only be shut if you push in from the centre.  Try pushing it from the upper left/right corner, it just refuse to click in the lock shutter.  Come on, Proton, glove box is one the most basic interior compartment any car will have, don't keep letting us judge you by this!  And let's hope power windows issue is now long gone into history book.  The touch screen is nice, bundled with DVD and navigation features, and the basic player support USB and bluetooth, thus betul-betul no complaint here.  Lucky that the old Savvy/Saga meter cluster is not carry forward here, and this new cluster looks so much smarter and useful, with all the mileage information needed.

Further checking out the interior...all are good!  Start-Stop for Premium edition.  60/40 foldable rear seats which is a defnite need for all hatchback car, nice and comfortable seats, for it be leather or cloth, passive front headrest that provide protection against whiplash injury in the event the car is rear-ended, 2 USB powered output to charge your gadgets, a decent trunk, door auto lock with crash sensor, a lot of bottle and cup holders...all that make the Iriz betul-betul designed for the people!

Frameless wiper...the Iriz is going to change the landscape of premium car, shouting out loud that "I can have premium feature, at not so premium price."  Checking out other quality, hmm..., the keyless entry button on the Premium model is not flush properly, with one end sagging into door handle.  Thus the Iriz, as good as it is, still is a Proton.  When one keeps treating is as a Proton, you will feel better, you will think the lack of quality will still be around.  Even in the engine bay, one could easily spot rust in all brand new unit!

The Iriz, really looks irresistible, well balanced design, and available in 7 colours.  If you don't mind a Proton, this could the car that shall see the farewell of Myvi, which is now almost 10-year old.  It is safer, it provide better power, it looks smarter, and it could really be Proton betul-betul car that could compete in the B-segment space! 

RON95 is now @ RM2.30/litre

As of Oct 2, 2014, RON95 is now at RM2.30/litre, a rise of RM0.20 to rationalize petrol subsidy in Malaysia.  Bravo to the government!  Time to get on a Vespa!  With such move, shouldn't the government should lower the tax structure for taxpayer to balance out the living standard?

WTI Crude Oil has been on the downtrend, yet ...

Mercedes W205 C-Class, the mini S

If it were time to refresh your luxury car, and you are a loyal Mercedes supporter, don't miss out the all new C-Class W205, which resembled a mini S-Class.  All initial batch of few hundreds units has been snapped up since last year, and the next CKD unit will only be made available in May 2015, after the implementation of the GST.  Thus, no test drive unit is available, and even after the CKD, dealers might be slow in getting their demo car due to high demand of the car.  When someone were rich enough, and preferred a luxury sedan, test driving is not important since one could simply spend over a quarter million, just to show off their latest addition to the garage.  Don't like it, just give it to the wife, or girlfried or even the mistress!  What is a quarter million anyway!

Finally, the 1.8-litre CGI engine went into history list and been replaced with a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, which produces 184hp/300Nm, giving fans of the C-Class a more powerful machine.  Even now, government agency would be able to use their allowance to get this car as the rule called for any car with at least 2-litre engine.  7-speed 7G-Tronic Plus transmission is standard for the W205.  If one need a more powerful C Class, one need to get the C250 Exclusive trim, which uses a different tune of the same engine, producing 208hp/350Nm of power.  However, the C250 Exclusive uses the standard front grille with the 3-pointed start mounted on the engine cover, which make it look so...Mercedes.  But the C-Class should be for the younger executive who will prefer sportier grille of the C200 Avantgarde trim.  Mercedes should get rid of the traditional grille, though it has the Active Louvres (Airpanel), which closes when the car is in park position and opens while on the move.  This feature in fact improves the aerodynamics of the car and ease the engine warmup time! A cool feature, which means expensive maintenance in the long run!

Looking inside the W205, one could notice the luxurious of the C250 Exclusive, which use wood and leather trim on the dashboard and door panel, while the C200 Avantgarde is a plain piano black.  It also immediate give the age of the owner of the car, where mostly > 45 will or might still consider the C250 and anyone < 45 should want the sportier C200.  There are a long list of additional item in the C250, which is asking for RM316k and C200 for RM286k, both in CBU.  When CKD units arrive, with the elimination of sales tax and introduction of GST, there could be a drop of about RM15k - RM20k in the pricing structure.  For more detail in the specifications, here is the link.  The free standing display on all new generation of Mercedes could be standout, love hate environment.  I would think most would prefer a more integrated display into the dashboard that could be stow when not needed.  Wonder how it is last or work with our strong sunlight?  The touch sensitive controller makes the car feels higher class.

Some Mercedes' fans are still wondering whether the mini S is worth their consideration, just because when one is design to be so similar to the big brother, it loses its uniqueness, especially when the big brother target market is for the big bosses of certain age group.  The lookalike of the W205 C-Class will now only means it looks old as well.  Well, some would always think otherwise, and some don't even care what the W205 provides, what it has, but it is time for a refreshment after having the old W204 for the past 6-7 years.

The rear of both model looks very similar, though the C250 Exclusive is better off with the visible tail pipes chrome lining.  The C200 goes with hidden tailpipes, which reduce the aggressiveness of the front it has.

This round, the C-Class is finally not a strip down basic Benz, but one that is fully loaded with features, for them be related to the comfort or safety departments.  It has improves vastly and the only car in this segment to run with full LEDs!  Sedan is still not my choice of car now, for me, I would want the A250!

Perodua Axia on Malaysia Day 2014

Perodua has the a smart marketing team, official launching the Axia on eve of Malaysia Day, giving all Malaysian a whole day of holiday to flock to their showrooms to place booking for the best value for money car.  Though based on Daihatsu Ayla platform, Perodua has tweaked the exterior and interior to offer 2 different facial variant of the Axia.  The differences are so obvious that the bumper and headlight are not interchangeable, thus owner of the standard variant that want to do after market facelift need to spend a lot of money to have some major components changes.  However, in no times, third party look-alike facelift kit should be available, which shall even include the rear spoiler to tame some of the owners.

The Axia is powered by the all new aluminium 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine which is also the first commercially available Energy Efficient Vehicle, mated to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic gearbox.  Looking inside the neatly layout engine bay, one could notice the missing ABS control module for the standard version.  Dual airbags are standard across all Perodua's car for quite awhile now.  With 66hp/90nm of power, the Axia is not any fast car, and a short test drive shown that one has to rev the engine to around 4500rpm to get enough torque to pull the car from standstill to crossing the road.  While idling, the vibration from the imbalance 3-cylinder movement could be felt, which make me wonder whether this is the nature of it or the engine has yet to be fined tune properly.  A city car the Axia is, and what else could you ask for...maybe making traction control and ABS standard across all the ranges.  Malaysians deserve to have better car with no compromise on safety. 

The Axia interior built quality is good, as standard like all their other models.  Plastics are everywhere, but fitting is good, and with Perodua experience, they should last in our hot weather.  Different variant get a different meter cluster where the Advance and SE get a lot of silver insert in the dashboard, a sportier red meter cluster instead of standard amber.  The standard version get a very basic player without any USB or bluetooth connectivity.  Isn't such features quite standard nowadays!  What's with Perodua on having a CD Player but sealed up the USB port!  Make no sense!  No wonder the most basic model are getting the bulk of the order, as it does not even have one.  8 months wait for the RM24,000 EX variant!  

One smart, yet not too smart feature in the Axia is the handbag hook located at the passenger sit, which is activated by a push button to lock down your handbag from snatch thief.  Is Perodua trying to tell someone that crime rate is high in Malaysia?  It is however not a smart thing to place your handbag in anywhere that is easily visible.  If you have seen some Youtube videos, the thief is daring enough to have its body into the window to reach for it.  Don't be an idiot and make this hook your display case for your handbag!

Except for the most basic variant, the rest are available for viewing at any Perodua branch, and test drive unit is the fully loaded Advance version.  Anyhow, with similar powertrain, it does not matter which unit is available for future owner to give it a try.  A total of 8 colours are available this round, with 2 distinct new colours available for the Standard and SE/Advance version.  Green is making a come back this round, and it look nice.  The Axia even comes in a pinkish Cherry Blossom colour for the lady.  Now, let's hope the eco-friendly water-based paint will not fade under our sunlight.  Do you remember the Myvi green and gold colours, which eventually faded into different tones.  It just look weird with the bonnet is lighter shade and the door in darker shade, which lower the residual value of the car.  The Lava Red and Sunflower Yellow look nicely matched for the SE and Advance version.

Like what you see...the Axia is like VW beetle as it will be marketed as the peoples' car.  It is designed to be spacious, with a boot size that is larger than the B-Segment Myvi, and comfortable rear passengers' knees space.  The price as as follow:

Axia Std-E (Manual) - RM24,600 (OTR) + RM400 for metallic paint (Only in White and Silver)

Axia Std-G (Manual) - RM29,800 (OTR) + RM400 for metallic paint

Axia Std-G (Auto) - RM32,800 (OTR) + RM400 for metallic paint

Axia SE (Manual) - RM36,800 (OTR) + RM400 for metallic paint

Axia SE (Auto) - RM39,800 (OTR) + RM400 for metallic paint

Axia Advance (Auto) - RM42,130 (OTR) + RM400 for metallic paint

Waiting period is getting longer...and for those who are looking at the SE or Advance variants, wait till September 25, 2014 for the new Proton B-Segment hatch.  It could be even better than this A-Segment Axia!

Updates:  Pricing for the Axia has since been increased, with the most recent increment again with additional ABS added to all G variants.  This is in fact good news, especially it already obtained a 4-star safety rating from ASEAN NCAP.  For a small price, safety is the top priority!  Don't buy any car without these basic safety equipment.  Life is precious!

RON97 is now @ RM2.75/litre

Finally, RON97 has been reduced by RM0.10, and it is now RM2.75/litre!  Now it make more sense to the public as the oil price has been dropping below USD100 mark. 

The Mazda MX-5 ND...Long live the roadster!

It is official now, the 2016 Mazda MX-5 in its ND incarnation!  No further detail except now that we saw the actual look of the car!  Finally, the 3 generations of side signal lamp has been updated, though some would want back the sentimental feel of the roundish len!  

Yummy, it is handsome, isn't it?  I am saving my money for it.  A closer look on the single exhaust pipe could be a let down to most NC's fans, as the existing dual tail pipe looks more muscular and sporty.  Wheels with 4 nut lug are extremely uncommon as well for this size as well.  

Interior are very similar to Mazda 2, with the asymmetrical aircon vents in the middle, where the driver side get the classic round vent and the passenger is the rectangular unit.  Mazda keeps the whole interior of the MX-5 as simple, without any fancy features, which is a wise move.  Hooray for the southward pointing meter cluster.  At this time, Mazda has showcased the soft top version only, thus the power retractable hard top unit should arrive later.  Now, Bermaz, please start putting in your order so that the Malaysia's fans could have this ND soon!

Urban SUV Contender, the Ford Ecosport

After 9 months of delay, the Ford Ecosport was finally launched into our market, with the fully loaded Titanium variant and the basic Trend unit.  Both uses the common powertrain from the Fiesta, which is the long trusted 1.5-litre Ti-VCT engine, mated to the Getrag 6-speed dry dual clutch powershift transmission, with the ability to produce the 109hp/142Nm of power.  As an urban SUV, the Ecosport now officially compete directly with the Peugeot 2008, and it does has a very strong marketing point as it could wade through 550mm/1.8ft depth of water, thus making it flash flood proof in our tropical weather.  A 200mm/0.65ft of ground clearance is another strong feature for our potholes filled road, especially in our urban jungle that is full of MRT/LRT/BRT constructions!

Starting from RM93k for the Trend version and RM104k for the Titanium variant, the Ecosport could be a winner in this B-Segment SUV segment as it is about RM16k cheaper from the 2008.  The Ecosport Titanium even comes loaded with 7-airbag, a first in this segment.  Full leather seats, keyless entry and start/stop, as well as a sunroof or those that enjoy getting some suntan if not for the ability to wade through rainwater.  Other safety features such as traction control, ABS, hill launch assist, auto headlamp and wiper are included, though the Trend version goes without the convenience of auto headlamp and auto wiper.  The Trend version also loses the not so premium leather seats for conventional cloth seats, which could be more comfortable in our weather, as well as all the leather trimmming on the steering wheel and gear stalk.  The lack of a sunroof also means no chance of water leaking from the roof after many years of ownership, thus less maintenance.  If it were equipped with 7-airbag instead of 2, it could be the best buy Ecosport variant.

The interior is still the typical Ford, similar to the Fiesta which the Ecosport is based on.  A lot of transformer style buttons cluttered the dashboard, with a small screen that houses the audio configuration, which the dated bluetooth SYNC software which Ford had announced to discontinue in the very near future.  Single zone aircon replaces the manual unit in the Titanium variant, which bring the dashboard slightly upmarket.  The glove compartment is air-cool to keep your can drinks cold during long travel, which has been a standard feature in most continental cars.  The interior could be improved if the USB port could be designed into a cover-able compartment, like a handrest compartment, instead of expose, right behind the gear shift.  Anyhow, the handrest in the Titanium version is definitely an afterthought design, as it block the access to the 2 cup holders beside the handbrake level.  Thus, having more do not necessarily means better!

If one take a deeper look at the Ecosport, most will agree that the spare wheel at rear design is outdated, and add the convenience of it being stolen.  However, it does add certain degrees of ruggedness to the SUV, especially the rear door open sideway without any expose hinges, and giving a clean symmetrical look with the spare wheel slotted right in the middle of the door.  The rear door is keyless, with a push button and handle built right into the rear right lamp cluster, which is a nice thought.  If you check out the fuel lid, the label E20 fuel is the recommended type, but the Ethanol and Petrol mix of E20 is not available here. 

With only the Peugeot 2008 as its competitor now in the market, the Ecosport could sell like a hot cake.  However, the Ecosport with the Ecoboost engine is still a better choice, but this could means an estimated price of RM119k, could swing some business to Peugeot.  Let's hope Nissan will bring in the Juke again, Honda the Vezel and Renault the Captur, to make available more choices for us!